Method of working uppers over lasts



M. BROOK.

METHOD OF WORKING UPPERS OVER LASTS.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 30,1917.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Wyn/75R- Unrrn srn rs ATENT FICE.

MATTI-IIAS BROCK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION 0F NEVI JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application filed July 30, 1917. Serial No. 183,501.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MATTI-IIAS citizen of the United States, residin at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and tate of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Methods of WVorking Uppers Over Lasts, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to methods of working uppers over lasts and particularly to methods of lasting the toe portions of boots and shoes.

In the manufacture of shoes it has become increasingly common because of the high cost of leather, to employ for soles and innersoles material which is thin, flexible and eVen flimsy. Such materials when once properly incorporated intoa shoe structure are satisfactory but present diiiiculties to the shoemaker in manufacturing the shoes which difficulties it is an object of this invention to overcome. V

In lasting the toes of boots and shoes, the toe portion is usually supported by a rest BROOK, a

upon which the shoe is held by a hold-down engaging the bottom of the sole or innersole, The upper is then worked upwardly against the sides of the toe and wiped in over the margin of the sole or innersole, the lower surface of the wiping meansgacting substantially in the plane of the top face of said margin which is usually termed the feather, and is frequently thinner than the remainder of the sole. The wiping means to be properly effective should apply considerable downward pressure during its advance over either displace it lengthwise rearwardly or cause it to buckle and wrinkle or both.

The present invention in a broad aspect provides a new procedure for the manufacture of boots and shoes by maintaining the upper out of contact with the margin of a shoe sole during the advance of the upper over the shoe bottom so as to prevent the wiper from effecting direct pressure of the upper against either the top face of the sole margin or against its edge face.-

In another aspect the present invention provides for forming a well defined angle in the upper substantially along the line where it is to engage the top corner of the edge face of the sole or feather independently of the sole or feather itself, which angle is later seated against the top corner of the edge face of the sole or feather. The angle being formed independently of the edge of the sole, I am able to employ rigid means on each side ofthe upper to form a well defined angle. I a

A preferred manner of practising: the method of the invention consists in forming the margin of the upper over the last bottom out of contact with the sole and at substantially the same time forming a well defined angle in the upper along the line where it will engage the edge corner of the sole.

Considered more in detail, my method comprlses sustaining a last with an upper and sole assembled thereon, causing the upper to be worked over the shoe bottom, holding the upper out of direct contact with the sole at the margin of the sole and along the contour of the last edge during the overworkingof the upper, and then pressing the overworked upper into direct contact with the sole bottom. By this procedure the sole is protected from the action of the upper upon it and the upper is worked over the sole margin without displacing, crumpling, distorting or otherwise injuring the sole.

Vhile the upper is being maintained out of contact with the sole it is formed with-a well defined: angle along a line following the contour of the last, which angle is located to engage and lit the top corner of the edge face of the sole when the upper is brought into direct contact therewith.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in section the relative positions of the shoe parts at the beginning of the practice of my method upon them;

Fig. 2 is a simllar view showing an intermediate step in the practice of the method; Fig. 3 shows a later step where the upper has been brought into contact with the sole; Fig. 4 is a plan view of an apparatus which may be employed in practising the 7 method; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4 showing also a shoe and lasting means in longitudinal section.

Referring to Fig. 1, the toe portion of a last is represented as upheld by a support 2. The means for holding the upper out of contact with the sole comprises a plate 4 which has an edge contour of the shape of the edge of the sole and covers the margin of the sole substantially about the toe portion. The edge of the plate 4 is preferably positioned slightly beyond the edge face of the sole so as to relieve that face of the thrust of the upper caused by the inward movement ofwiped into position upon the plate. In this operation it will be seen that the upper is relieved of all direct action or pressure of the wiper and that the upper is now substantially in lasted position. In Fig. 3 is illustrated the next step in the method where the plate 4 has been moved rearwardly to allow the wiper to further wipe the upper and to seat the angle already formed in the upper by the edge of the plate 4 againstthe top corner of the sole edge face. The plate 4 is preferably relatively thin so that no material raising of the'wipers or depression of the shoe is occasioned by the wiping of the upper materials over it. After the upper has been worked over upon the plate so that danger of crumpling or displacement of the sole is passed, the plate is withdrawn and further relative movement of the shoe and wiper is effected to seat the angle, already f formed by the wiper cooperating with the sharp, resisting upper corner of the edge face of the plate, against the'top corner of the edge face of the sole and to further wipe and downwardly compress the upper into therefor being illustrated herein in Figs. 4 and 5. As shown in Fig. 4, a plate 4 is provided which has each end contoured to conform to a shoe toe, one end preferably corresponding to the shape of a right shoe toe and the other end corresponding to a left shoe toe of the same type. The plate is rotatably mounted by a stud 10 upon an arm 12 which is firmly supported in any suitable manner and arranged for movement rearwardly of the shoe to enable the plate to be withdrawn from beneath the wiped over upper, as, for example, by mounting the arm 12 upon the hold-down operating mechanism of a bed lasting machine. The plate 4, being very thin, is preferably backed up bya remforcing plate 14 arranged between the plate and the arm 12. When a shoe for the opposite foot to that for which the ap paratus is adjusted is to be lasted it is only necessary to rotate the plate 180 to bring the opposite end of the plate 4 into position over the toe end of thesole.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in supporting a last with a sole and upper assembled there on, wiping in the upper over the sole bottom while maintaining the upper out of direct contact with the sole and substantially in the plane of the sole, and then bringing the upper into lasted position against the sole margin.

2. That improvement in methods of conforming uppers to lasts'which consists in introducing a cover against the sole to hold the sole out of direct contact with the overlaid upper, laying the upper over upon the cover, removing the cover, andthen laying the upper in direct contact with the sole.

3. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in supporting a last with a sole and upper assembled thereon, holding the upper out of contact with the sole along a line corresponding to the shape of the sole, wiping the upper over the sole margin out of direct contact with the sole but substantially in the plane of the sole, and then conforming the upper directly to the shoe sole.

4. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in supporting a last with a sole and upper assembled thereon, forming the upper with a well defined angle to receive the top cornerof the edge face of the sole, by wiping the upper over the sole while the upper is out of contact with the sole, and then fitting the said angle against the said corner of the'sole.

5. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in supporting a last 7 with a sole and upper assembled thereon, wiping the upper over the sole bottom, covering the margin of the sole to prevent direct contact of it with the overwiped upper, forcing the upper against the cover to form a well defined angle between the upper at the sides of the shoe and the portion wiped over the cover, removing the cover and Working the wiped over upper against the bottom of the sole and the angle against the 10 top edge corner of the sole.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MATTHIAS BROOK. 

